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October 8, 2009

Sigh.

So, today is National Pierogie Day. And it is the middle of shark week. I mean, squash week. I could kick myself for the poor planning. So even though I could write tomes on the loveliness of pierogies in honor of their special day, I am going to stick with squash. (But stay tuned for an ode to the delicious pierogie.)

Back to the regularly scheduled squash program! The bit of yum pictured here is one of my favorites. It's a big pile of pasta with garlic, squash, and sage. And to totally gild the lily, goat cheese! Kind of hard not to love. If you're not sure if someone will like squash, give them a little spoonful of this.

Squash pasta with roasted garlic and sageServes 4

2 small squash, or 1 big squash (I used a small blue Hubbard and a buttercup)olive oil15 cloves of garlic, peeled1 bound of short pasta (just not something long and strand-like, such as spaghetti)1/2 cup dry white wine1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage1 teaspoon saltblack pepper, to taste4 ounces goat cheese

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tender. (How long your squash takes will depend on your oven, the type of squash, whether you got enough hugs as a child, and a bunch of other factors. Just keep an eye on it.)

Put the peeled garlic cloves in a little ramekin or small oven-proof bowl. Cover with olive oil, which should be a couple of tablespoons. After the squash has been cooking for about 20 minutes, put the ramekin in the oven as well. Take the garlic out when the squash is done. Please be careful taking the ramekin out, the oil will still be boiling. Scoop out the squash flesh.

Cook the pasta in salted water. Once you dump the pasta in the water, begin assembling the sauce. Pour the garlic cloves and garlic oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the wine and sage and cook for a minute or two, smooshing the garlic cloves with a rubber spoon. Add the squash, salt and pepper. Smoosh the squash with the spoon as well. Add a ladle-full of pasta cooking water if it seems to be getting a little dry.

When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the squash sauce, adding cooking water to smooth it out a bit if necessary. This should be a fairly thick sauce, though, so don't go crazy with the water.